The women nearby glanced in her direction, their curious and mocking expressions saying it all.

“Look at her—if she can’t handle this kind of work, she shouldn’t even pretend. Acting all diligent now.”

“Exactly, she’s been here almost a year and never once tended to this vegetable plot. The weeds have grown waist-high, and now she suddenly wants to farm? Who’s going to believe that?”

“Maybe she’s afraid Battalion Commander Jiang will dump her?”

Accompanying these remarks were the women’s mocking laughter.

Su Banxia clicked her tongue in frustration.

Honestly, in her previous life, there was nothing she couldn’t handle.

This time around, she refused to believe there was anything she couldn’t do.

Hands on her hips, she glared at the overgrown plot, gritting her teeth inwardly.

Since she’d been dragged here by chance, she might as well give it a try. Who knew? Maybe she’d succeed.

Since you’re here, make the best of it.

Su Banxia rolled up her sleeves. Zhang Xiaolan smiled and said, “Don’t rush. Wait for me to finish, and I’ll help you pull the weeds.”

“It’s alright, Sister Xiaolan. You keep digging—I’ll handle the weeds.

Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Don’t mention it!”

Su Banxia smiled and got to work.

She didn’t even have a pair of gloves, so she simply squatted in the dirt and started pulling weeds.

Zhang Xiaolan glanced at her from time to time, amused by how sweaty and flushed she became.

The more she watched, the more she liked this girl.

Despite her plump figure, she actually looked quite capable when working.

Su Banxia ignored the chatter from the neighboring plots. When she set her mind to something, she did it thoroughly and seriously.

If she wasn’t going to do it, she wouldn’t bother at all.

Pulling weeds was much faster than digging. By the time Su Banxia had cleared half the plot, Zhang Xiaolan had only dug up a third of hers.

Undeterred by the effort, Su Banxia pulled all the dry weeds, piled them together, and set them aside.

Zhang Xiaolan tossed her a box of matches.

“Sister, just light them up. The ashes can be mixed back into the soil as fertilizer.”

Truth be told, Su Banxia had never farmed before. This was quite a challenge for her.

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Absolutely.”

As she spoke, Zhang Xiaolan pulled out a box of matches from her bag and handed it to Su Banxia.

Su Banxia smiled. “Sister, you carry matches with you all the time?”

“Of course! I need them to light the gas stove when I cook. It’s become a habit.”

Su Banxia took the matches and said gratefully, “Thank you, Sister Xiaolan.”

She lit the pile of dry weeds, and the crackling sound of burning filled the air.

She waited until the flames had completely died down and the weeds had turned to ashes before feeling relieved.

Zhang Xiaolan said, “I’ll go borrow a hoe for you. We can dig together.”

Su Banxia, already drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed, hadn’t even caught her breath when Zhang Xiaolan returned triumphantly with another hoe.

Su Banxia: “…”

Well, whether I want to or not, I guess I’m digging now.

She took a deep breath and reluctantly accepted the hoe.

“Thank you, Sister Xiaolan.”

“Take it slow. I’ll come help you once I’m done with mine.”

Su Banxia eyed the hoe uncertainly but eventually mimicked Zhang Xiaolan’s movements and started digging.

The first strike into the soil was tougher than she expected.

Zhang Xiaolan glanced back at her and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sister, have you ever dug soil before?”

Su Banxia smiled sheepishly. “I have, actually. It’s just been a while, so I’m a bit rusty.”

“It’s fine. This plot isn’t very big. Just think of it as a bit of exercise.”

Su Banxia thought about it and decided she might as well treat it as a weight-loss session.

Su Banxia didn’t say another word and focused seriously on digging.

By the time Zhang Xiaolan finished her own plot, Su Banxia had only managed a quarter of hers.

She worked slowly but didn’t stop to rest.

Zhang Xiaolan started digging from the opposite side, and the two worked together.

When the others finished and headed home, these two were still hard at work.

As they left, the women greeted Zhang Xiaolan but kept their distance. Once they were farther away, they whispered among themselves, “What’s going on with Su Banxia? She hasn’t gone out to gamble these past few days, and today she actually put in a full day’s work.

Is the sun rising from the west now?”

“Who knows? Probably just a temporary burst of enthusiasm. Mark my words, it won’t last.

Besides, I heard from others that when she repaid her debts yesterday, the loan sharks split her head open.

That Zhang Xiaolan—getting so close to someone like that and even helping her with farm work. Isn’t she afraid of catching bad luck?”

“Exactly! Let’s not follow her example. We don’t want that kind of misfortune rubbing off on us.”

Their hushed discussions faded into the distance.

By the time Zhang Xiaolan and Su Banxia finished digging, Zhang Xiaolan was still full of energy, but Su Banxia’s cloth shoes were filled with dirt. She collapsed onto the ground, parched and exhausted, her clothes soaked with sweat.

Zhang Xiaolan picked up the hoe beside Su Banxia’s feet, squatted down, and found a stone to scrape off the soil stuck to it.

“Look at you, drenched in sweat. Go home and get some proper rest.”

Su Banxia lay lazily on the ground, too tired to even lift her legs.

Every muscle in her body ached.

She looked up at the clear blue sky and the slowly drifting white clouds, letting out a silly laugh.

The air here was truly fresh.

There was something genuinely satisfying about working up a sweat—it felt refreshing both physically and mentally.

Zhang Xiaolan watched her with amusement. “You’re a married woman now, yet you’re still acting like a child.”

Su Banxia smiled and turned her head to look at Zhang Xiaolan scraping the hoe.

“Sister, why are you scraping the soil off the hoe?

Won’t we need to use it again next time?”

“Yes, but scraping off the dirt prevents it from rusting. If we don’t use it for a while and just leave it aside, it’ll become dull over time.”

Su Banxia nodded, though she only half-understood. She pushed herself up from the ground, feeling as though her legs no longer belonged to her.

“Sister, who did you borrow this hoe from? I can return it on my way back.”

Zhang Xiaolan knew that many women in the compound avoided Su Banxia. It was better for her to return the hoe herself to avoid causing any trouble.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll return it later.

You should head back now. The day after tomorrow, I’ll call for you, and we’ll go into the city together to buy vegetable seeds. I guarantee your crops will grow well.”

“Thank you, Sister Xiaolan.”

Su Banxia realized that Zhang Xiaolan had a bold and straightforward personality.

She was direct and much easier to get along with than the others in the compound.

Su Banxia genuinely wanted to thank her.

The two parted ways at the foot of the building. Su Banxia dragged her sore, heavy legs and arms, slowly climbing up to the third floor.

As soon as she opened the door, she groaned. She was exhausted and hungry, with no energy to move.

Her head injury from earlier was throbbing painfully.

She slumped over the table for a short rest, then went to the kitchen to boil water. After carrying it to the bathroom, she gave herself a quick wash with soap, feeling much refreshed afterward.

She soaked her sweaty clothes in a basin, only then realizing she hadn’t brought any spare clothes with her.

Naked, she went to her room to find a clean set of clothes and put them on. Then she returned to the kitchen to cook a simple dish of shredded cabbage with an egg stirred in.

After working all afternoon, she was so hungry she felt like her stomach was touching her backbone.